Freshwater Biodiversity in the Irish Agricultural Landscape: The Significance of Ponds

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Resource or Project Abstract

This study shows that farmland ponds contribute substantially to the maintenance of freshwater biodiversity in Ireland. A large number of water beetle and plant species were recorded from 54 farmland ponds. Of the 76 beetle species collected from the study ponds and representing over 30% of the Irish water beetle fauna, 4 species are included in the Red List of Irish Water Beetles. It was confirmed that grazing intensity and nutrient enrichment have a detrimental effect on the diversity of plant and beetle assemblages, and that the presence of a buffer zone of marginal vegetation as well as that of a fence system improved the overall ecological quality of ponds. Temporary ponds were significantly less diverse than permanent ponds, but they may contribute to maintaining water beetle diversity at the landscape level by improving connectivity between freshwater systems. The diversity of the study ponds was only moderately correlated with pond surface area, indicating that the maintenance or the creation of small ponds characterized by a shallow zone may play a central role in the conservation of biodiversity. Despite not being quantified, a general decrease in the number of farmland ponds was observed as a consequence of the intensification of agricultural practices and housing developments. The conservation freshwater biodiversity in Ireland requires extensive information on the distribution of ponds and on their biodiversity value and ecological quality as well as the development of long-term monitoring programmes aimed at evaluating changes in biodiversity associated with anthropogenic activities, including the intensification of agricultural practices, urbanization, climate change and the introduction of invasive alien species. In this study, a number of research needs were highlighted. In particular, an urgent need for the development of environmental policies specifically aimed at protecting freshwater biodiversity and ponds was identified. Since small freshwater ecosystems, even those that are temporary, are important in supporting uncommon species and in maintaining habitat connectivity, specific legislations should be developed to protect these systems

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Author(s)

Gioria, M.

Title Of Website

Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data

Publication Information

Freshwater Biodiversity in the Irish Agricultural Landscape: The Significance of Ponds

Access Information For This Resource

Biodiversity of Aquatic Coleoptera in the Irish Farmed Landscape. The Significance of Ponds

EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code

2007-FS-B-14-M5

EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme

Biodiversity

Resource Availability:

Public-Open

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Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):

2

Project Start Date

Monday 1st January 2007 (01-01-2007)

Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects

Monday 1st January 2007 (01-01-2007)

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Geographical and Spatial Information Related To This Resource

Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset A total of 67 wetland plant species (Table 1.3.1), grouped into 25 plant community types (Table 1.3.2), was recorded from the 54 study ponds, with 42 species classified as emergent, 7 as floating-leaved, and 18 as submerged. Mean values for each pond category are presented in Table 1.3.3. On average, 5.4 plant species (± 2.5 SD) were recorded in temporary ponds, compared to 11.1 (± 6.3 SD) found in permanent ones. Potamogeton natans L. was the pondweed most frequently recorded in permanent ponds (37 ponds), while the bulrush Typha latifolia L. formed dominant communities in the emergent vegetation of 19 permanent ponds.
The findings presented in this report refers to data collected from 54 ponds located in two intensively farmed regions in Ireland (R1, Wexford, Co. Wexford, 25 ponds: centroid: 52°23'N, 6°23W, June?July 2008; R2, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, 29 ponds: 53°33'N, 7°25'W, June?July 2009). Altitude ranges from 24 to 66 masl in R1 and from 105 to 125 masl in R2. Mean monthly rainfall during the sampling period was 70.2?102 mm in R1 and 86.6?97.2 mm in R2 (Met Eireann, 2009), while average daily temperature ranged between 10.5 and 13.2°C in R1 and 14.4 and 15.1°C in R2. Mean monthly soil temperature for the same period was 16.6?18.3°C in R1 and 17.7?17.9°C in R2. Ponds were classified according to permanency into: 1) temporary (T, annual wet/dry phases), and 2) permanent (P), and according to the grazing intensity into 1) ungrazed (U = ponds surrounded by either arable land or by the presence of a buffer zone, 2) fenced (Fe = ponds surrounded by an electric fence that prevented direct access of livestock to the ponds, and 3) grazed (G) = ponds heavily used by cattle. Pond dominant substratum was classified into: 1) clay/mud (C) and 2) gravel (Gv).A total of 67 wetland plant species (Table 1.3.1), grouped into 25 plant community types (Table 1.3.2), was recorded from the 54 study ponds, with 42 species classified as emergent, 7 as floating-leaved, and 18 as submerged. Mean values for each pond category are presented in Table 1.3.3. On average, 5.4 plant species (± 2.5 SD) were recorded in temporary ponds, compared to 11.1 (± 6.3 SD) found in permanent ones. Potamogeton natans L. was the pondweed most frequently recorded in permanent ponds (37 ponds), while the bulrush Typha latifolia L. formed dominant communities in the emergent vegetation of 19 permanent ponds.

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Lineage information about this project or dataset

This study had three major aims: 1) to improve our understanding of the ecology of ponds and of the potential conservation value of ponds in the Irish agricultural landscape; 2) to develop an analytical framework that allows the identification of the main drivers of pond biodiversity; and 3) to develop an analytical protocol that allows the identification of surrogate taxa for biodiversity that can be used to make rapid or preliminary pond biodiversity assessments. Since a rigorous characterization of the impact of environmental and management variables on pond biodiversity is critical for developing conservation and management strategies aimed at maximizing the biodiversity value of these ecosystems, a range of novel and traditional analytical procedures was used here to identify the factors that best explain and predict patterns in pond biodiversity. This information is urgently needed to halt the decline of freshwater biodiversity in Ireland.

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